‘Am I Like a Scientist?’: Primary children's images of doing science in school

Abstract

A considerable body of evidence highlights how inquiry-based science can enhance students' epistemic and conceptual understanding of scientific concepts, principles, and theories. However, little is known about how students view themselves as learners of science. In this paper, we explore primary children's images of doing science in school and how they compare themselves with ‘real’ scientists. Data were collected through the use of a questionnaire, drawing activity, and interviews from 161 Grade 4 (ages 9–10) students in Singapore. Results indicate that ‘doing science as conducting hands-on investigations’, ‘doing science as learning from the teacher’, ‘doing science as completing the workbook’, and ‘doing science as a social process’ are the images of learning science in school that most of the students held. In addition, students reported that they need to be well behaved first and foremost, while scientists are more likely to work alone and do things that are dangerous. Moreover, students often viewed themselves as ‘acting like a scientist’ in class, especially when they were doing experiments. Nevertheless, some students reported that they were unlike a scientist because they believed that scientists work alone with dangerous experiments and do not need to listen to the teacher and complete the workbook. These research findings further confirm the earlier argument that young children can make distinctions between school science and ‘real’ science. This study suggests that the teaching of science as inquiry and by inquiry will shape how students view their classroom experiences and their attitudes towards science.

Keywords:

• Inquiry science
• Primary school science
• Student drawing
• Science student roles
• Scientist roles

Acknowledgements

This work is supported by grant from the Singapore Millennium Foundation Limited (SMF-Sci Learning Env). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position, policy, or endorsement of the funding agency.

The authors acknowledge the contribution of research team members Ms Tan Poh Hiang, Mr Frederick Talaue and Ms Joanna Ong. The authors especially thank the students who participated in the research.

Notes

1. We have recognised the difference between the definition of inquiry and scientific inquiry, that is, the latter one emphasise inquiry in the domain of science. For the readability, however, this paper used inquiry and scientific inquiry interchangeably.